Edition #5 - March, 2012 P. 9

Read all about the first Hot Spot at Nova, organized by the NIC

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The Nova News team talks about their experi-ences in many of the modules that Nova has to offer

Former NOVA student, Tomás Leite tells his story after Nova, including his volluntering experience in Africa P. 14

Business Forum

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Graduation time

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P. 2

So close...Nova’s football team fell short in the final after a fantastic season

Visit our website at: www.novanews.com.ptSend us an e-mail at: novanews@novasbe.pt

The halls of Nova were compeletely crowded for another edition of the Business Forum

Another batch of masters students celebrated their acheivement in an unforgettable ceremony

March, 2012March, 2012

Masters Graduate as cicle continues

2 3NEWSNEWS

were called to the stage for the climatic end, to the sound of Queen’s “Don’t stop me now.”

Meanwhile, a new year also means new resolu-tions. Including the one to begin a new cycle at NOVA School of Business and Economics.

About 40 new people are starting the Masters. In a small meeting, the new students had the chance to be received by prom-ises of hard work, by the clubs and the representa-

tives. Unfortunately, very few activities were offered to welcome them, in com-parison with the batch that entered in Septem-ber. Nevertheless, they are staying positive about the prospects despite being apprehensive of the hard work coming their way. Welcome new Masters students!

Rafael Barbosaand

Ana Lopes

The objective is well defined! Nova wants to expand in the market of education and foreign students are an appealing target. In that sense, Nova wants to move out from the capital and establish itself in the county of Cas-cais at a strategic place, near the ocean, using that way the trump card of the Portuguese climate in order to gain a competi-tive advantage over the other European business schools.

There is already a pro-tocol between the munici-pality and Nova (yet to be

signed), approved by the Portuguese government stating that the former has one year to look for a suit-able location for Nova to settle. Given Nova’s strat-egy, that place needs to meet some requirements such as dimension, in or-der to accommodate the buildings and other im-portant infrastructures, and location that must be near the sea as a way to at-tract foreign students.

Basically, the idea is to construct an American style campus, more spe-cifically a California style campus, where the stu-

dents live, study, do sports and go to the beach!

Because of the crisis Portugal is going through, the possibility of the proj-ect to be financed with public funds is unlikely. In that sense, the project will depend on the capacity of the intervenient to gather private financing, but only after finding a suitable lo-cation.

The Nova students have mixed feelings about this change. There is no doubt that a new campus with better conditions would be welcomed, but the chosen location will be

always a matter of discus-sion. Economically speak-ing, the idea of going to a place near the beach would be definitely a ma-jor asset in terms of cre-ating an attractive pack-age that stands out in the global collage educational market. However, for the Portuguese students that fact may not be as stimu-lus given that classes are mostly in the winter and moving away from the capital also means moving away from the “center of the action”. Lisbon is the biggest city in Portugal and it cannot be compared with Cascais in terms of the dynamism, services, infrastructures and activi-ties, during the day and during the night. Going to Cascais would mean to lose the proximity to Bair-ro Alto and other nightlife centers which are major places of leisure attended by the students, Portu-guese and foreign.

Luís Filipe

Nova at the BeachPlans to Move the location of Nova SBE are underway. Even though the process is still in its early stages, an initial agreement with the municipality of Cascais to try and find the perfect place has been reached. The ambitious project is another step in making NOVA bigger and more attractive for foreign students.

A new year at Nova always means that it’s time for a lucky number of young

men and women to end another stage of their lives by graduating after count-less hours of dedication and effort. And what bet-ter way to mark occasion that than by an inspiring ceremony held in the rec-tory auditorium? Students and respective families filled the seats and Alber-to da Ponte delivered the keynote speech that ad-ressed issues of competi-tivity in the market and globalization. Afterwards, the now former students

January marked the end of the Masters for dozens of stu-dents who atended the graduation ceremony, while for others it marked the beginning of their journey.

March, 2012March, 20124 5OPINIONNEWS

So close...

Nova School of Busi-ness and Economics is not known for winning at sports, nor are its students (or staff...) usually very fond of universities’ com-petitions. But this year everyone should be aware of the tremendous glory achieved by our football team. I know news should not be emotion-al... but I play in that team and we are talking about a great achieve-ment for Nova, so I will talk about my personal ex-perience this year.

I play for Nova football team since I first started my undergraduate course in economics, and I have always had exceptional teammates. From that year, only three of us re-main, but the spirit is the same – we need to have fun to overcome the stress of classes, sure, but al-ways focused on winning games. Since 2009 we lost only one game in the 90 minutes (we were elimi-nated by ISEG in 2010 in the penalties), we won the 2nd division last year, and we lost the 1st division final last week, against

FMH. It was a shame to lose

that game. It is painful when the only game you lose in two years in a row is… a FINAL! That could have been an historical moment – Nova has never won the Lisbon Universi-ties’ Championship – and we were so close.

During the regular phase, Nova Economia had won 9 of its 11 games, and drawn the other two. A remarkable undertaking I must say, winning the regular league, and finish-ing 7 points over the 2nd position. It was a complete surprise, coming from a team that was in the sec-ond division the year be-fore. Nova ended with the best attack with almost 40 goals (more than 3.5 goals per game) and the second best defense. Impressive figures by any standards.

And along came the

final four. Four teams run-ning for the glory of an entire season. Four can-didates with only a trophy in their minds. Nova and FMH were the favorites in each semi-final, and they demonstrated why in the field. Nova won against ISCTE at the penalties, after losing a two goal ad-

vantage in just 4 minutes. FMH won 3-0 against IST.

La Grand Final. March 22nd. Nova Economia vs FMH. An entire season was to be played in 90 minutes. To be played, but not to be compromised – no one could erase the incredible season Nova had already achieved. FMH won the final. The final score was 3-1. And they were the best team in the final. But they did not deserve the title, for Nova has been the best team this year. But… this is football. Not always the

best team wins, otherwise there would have existed several unbeatable teams across history.

In the end what mat-ters most is that, this year, Nova won a team, for it already had players. And its players experienced the true team spirit, through winnings and losing mo-

ments. Nova was defeated, but fight-ing until the last minute, with sacri-fice, will and dem-onstrating fair play. Nova lost the game, but we should all be proud of this sea-son.

A final remark to state three im-

portant facts: Manuel Abegão, our team captain, was nominated for the best football player of the championship and best male athlete; WulianJin-kler from Nova Masters was also nominated for best football player of the season; and finally, the season is not over, since the team is qualified to go to Braga and play the national finals in April. Good luck Nova!

Gonçalo Coronha

Starting at 10AM, for most students, the Busi-ness Forum was a chance to get to know the career opportunities, including whether firms had sum-mer internships, as most of the students were look-ing for. But it was also a valuable chance to net-work and to understand what are the possibilities for the future. For other students it was a busy day of coordination, running to get things done but also to let the firms know who they are. These were the students helping the CMO. For the representa-tives of the firms, not to mention the amount of

CVs some of them col-lected, they were given a chance to get to know the new minds that will soon be entering the labour market and their expecta-tions.

A big thank you for the CMO for this experience and huge success. May next year’s forum be even more successful!

Ana Lopes

1 university, 50 firms and thousands of stu-dents participated in the NOVA’s Business Fo-rum 2012. It was an event full of presentations, turbo sessions and stands, with many firms coming from many different economic sectors.

Another Business Forum... Another success

Book review - “23 Things They Never Tell You About Capitalism”

23 Things That They Never Tell You About Capitalism, the latest book of Ha-Joon Chang, a South Korean professor of Economics at Cambridge University, is a success-ful attempt to debunk 23 myths and misconcep-tions of free markets capi-talism.

Being an awarded re-searcher in the area of Economic thought, Chang raises questions on the fundamental mechanisms of markets and develops his ideas using an acces-sible language. Starting by showing that truly free markets do not exist due to regulations, which is the first step to under-stand capitalism, the au-thor goes on to explain why some widely accepted ideas, such as “making rich people richer will make everyone richer” and “we live in unplanned economies”, are, at least, highly questionable us-ing innumerous historical examples and undeniable arguments. In spite of ex-posing many failures and problems of free markets capitalism, Chang is a de-fender of the main prin-

ciples of capitalism. In the final chapter of the

book, Chang presents his suggestions to reconstruct and improve the global economic system based on different assumptions and principles designed to prevent future financial and economic crisis. For example, taking into ac-count the limited human capacity to understand complex financial prod-ucts and the need to find an equilibrium between financial activities and the real side of the economy would allow a much more stable and safer financial system, which is essential for a prosperous economy.

Summing up, this en-lightening book on capi-talism is essential to un-derstand the failures of free markets and to get insights on what can be done to recover the world economy and improve it in the future by avoiding costly past mistakes.

Miguel Aguiar

Nova SBE’s Football team was one victory away from a perfect season, but unfortunately lost in the Final that took place March 22nd

March, 2012March, 20126 7OpinionOPINION

Once upon a time there was a runner who started enthusiastically a 10.000m olympic chal-lenge. He was at the front. He started to feel tired and decided to slow down. After some time he was last: he lost! Once upon a time there was a boy who used to like reading.

He used to get involved with titles, covers, sto-ries. After some time the book he was reading was found abondoned some-where, slightly open and with some pages folded: he did not finish it! Once upon a time there was a

person who spent a lot of time tyding up her chaotic bedroom. It turned out to be wonderfully pleasant. In the following days she had extreme care – even too much care - to put ev-erything in its place. After some time the bedroom was as it was in the begin-ning: she gave up! Once

upon a time there was a man who had many plans, projects, ideas. He was dreaming, getting excited, conquering the world in his imagination. He nev-er built anything at all! Once upon a time there was an university student

who started his degree with great enthusiasm; he was up to seriously dedi-cate himself to his educa-tion and to the success of the program. After some weeks he started having difficulty in following the pace of the courses, to miss important appoint-ments, to procrastinate study, to pay less attention to classes, to party more than working: he failed! Once upon a time there were a boy and a girl who fell in love and promised themselves for all their lives with the vibration of youthfulness. Some years later, perhaps a decade, they let the love become wizened; the initial enthu-siasm disappeared, the de-

termination and the will, poorly used to suffer, got weaken: they separated!

If there is some-thing we can learn from these stories, it is to fin-ish things, laying down the last stones, and laying them down well. Even if the initial enthusiasm dis-appeared, even when we are tired, even when we are exhausted. Micheal Burks said that The difference between ordinary and ex-traordinary is the little ex-tra. When we see students finishing their education at Nova, these things can come to our mind: when it comes to finishing things, what’s on stake are not in-significant details. A lot of small things, small details of personal preserverence and virtue, are the well drawn final dot that is the little extra that makes them finished, ready, wor-thy, and that makes the ordinary, the normal, to become extraordinary. And this is not once upon a time. It happened, it happen, it is going to keep happening: Nova... our lives... are not a story.

Diogo Carvalho

To start... to finish! Priorities Imagine two parents

sitting poolside while their 5 year old son, still inca-pable of swimming, falls helplessly into the pool. Until recently I assumed everyone with a drop of common sense would im-mediately dive to save the child. However, I must confess my eagerness to hear the opinion of some European leaders on this hypothetical situation, namely Merkel and Sar-

kozy. From my perspec-tive, their actions since the beginning of the crisis highlights what can only be described as a clear handicap in what con-cerns establishing priori-ties. In fact, it would not surprise me to hear them say that the first thing they would do is to agree upon safety measures to prevent the kid from falling in the pool again.

Merkel and Sarkozy keep acting as if all that Europe needs to do is to prove to the financial markets that there will not be another sovereign debt

crisis in the fu-ture. It is time someone called their attention to the fact that we haven’t got out of the cur-rent crisis at all. I agree that most of what is demanded from the problematic countries concerning the tightening of fiscal policy and increased interna-

tional supervision is para-mount, but it is clearly not enough.

The priorities are clear: First, we must deal with the short term liquidity problems of the periph-eral countries, namely by putting forward a coher-ent proposal that shows the markets that the Euro-zone stands as one. Euro-bonds are a way to do this, but any approach with the same effects would be in the table. Of course it would take lengthy prepa-rations, but delaying it is only going to worsen the problem. If it had been

Secondly, a coherent framework which con-trols and punishes for de-viations in national fiscal policy must be created.

Finally, we must act upon the underlying com-petitiveness chasm within the Eurozone. Failure to do so, and reliance solely upon budgetary control, will lead to a continu-ing divergence in terms of economic growth and

make the peripheral coun-tries increasingly poorer in relative terms. This is not the ideal upon which the European Union was created and it is bound to create a social instability that would threaten sta-bility of the union. Long term convergence must

be a goal, and the current monetary and economic framework is not allowing it to happen.

European efforts have, until now, been solely fo-cused on the second step and the consequence has been a dragged recession in some European coun-tries that threatens to di-vide the European family. A situation which could have been greatly mini-

mized if the right course of action had been taken form the start. It’s time someone actually got in the poolto save the Euro-pean Union.

Rafael Barbosa

“Merkel and Sarkozy keep acting as if all that Europe needs to do is prove to the markets that there will not be another

debt crisis in the future”

“The difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is the little extra”

“It is time someone called their attention to the fact we haven’t got out of the curent

crisis at all.”

March, 2012March, 20128 OPINION

represent revenues for firms (and not only “inter-net” firms).

One of the arguments in favor of the bill is higher revenues and higher em-ployment. Of course that as pointed out as an ad-vantage: everyone wants

to get richer and to in-crease their probability of being employed. How-ever, in my opinion, that is not at all true. Surprise, surprise… the main sup-porters of SOPA are big corporations: the same that would have higher gains and could employ more people. The actual effects of SOPA would be less information, leading to less educated people that would be less creative and innovative. SOPA is a huge hit to the American economy with a lot of lay-

offs from internet-based companies in a time of crisis, risking another re-cession in the worst case scenario.

Actually, if SOPA is ap-proved, that means a lot of technology based enter-prises will cease to exist,

and a huge portion of the suppliers of a market will disappear. Accordingly, it should come with no sur-prise that other individu-als seize this opportunity and supply these services themselves. For example, in Europe, there can be the initiative to create websites with the same functions as those abolished in the US. This represents a huge op-portunity to replace the USA in the international market.

More recently, another bill entitled ACTA was

signed by the European Union with various pro-tests from notably Poland citizens and officials. Al-though it has not been en-forced yet, it brings the US closer to the “safe haven” of property rights which they deem crucial to an economy. At the same time, it creates barriers to freedom and communica-tion. If we can’t communi-cate across countries, how are we supposed to under-stand each other and avoid global conflicts? If the US is the father of capitalism, why is it increasingly pro-tecting itself and its com-panies?

Ana Lopes

Dumb Americans (some!) – SOPA and the beginning of US’s downfall

“The internet is not only a tool to share information, it also helps to share cul-tures, pulicity and creates consumer

habits”

“The actual effects of SOPA would be less informa-

tion, leading to less educated people

that would be less creative and inno-

vative”

In the several media, there is a lot of debate and protests about a bill called SOPA. If approved, this law would enable Ameri-can entities to block site that were deemed disre-spectful of property rights.

The internet is not only a tool to share informa-tion, it also helps to share cultures, publicity and creates consumer hab-its (by quickly dictating the latest trends, just like Apple’s products), among other functions. To con-tact with other people, be it in the comment section in Youtube or in a gaming conversation, is to share information and to affect their consumer patterns.

To give a simple example, two people might influ-ence each other into pur-chasing certain items in iTunes or to attend a cer-tain concert, and these

9MODULES

Every year, Masters’ students have to choose the modules to do in after the exams in January and June and that are required to finish the graduate program. With so many to choose from, it might be hard to make the decision. Here you’ll find brief testemonies of many modules avail-able at Nova by students who attended them in the last semesters. The modules are divided into three categories: “International exposure”, “Leadership, creativity and social responsibility” and “Career vision”

Modules at Nova... What to choose?

Traveling, acknowledge-ment, connections, fun... in a word, experience! That is how I define last year’s Study Trip to Ma-drid. As you know, Madrid

has not only a strong in-dustry component, as it is also a much important financial center than Lis-bon, so mainly for Fi-

nance students, it was very interesting to go and visit the offices of Credit Suisse, for instance. As it happens with almost all investment banks Credit Suisse as well as only an Iberian Office for help-ing with the operations throughout Portugal and Spain. Another ex-ample of a similar situa-

tion is the consulting firm Bain&Comp. We visited a lot of diversified places, such as BBVA, Fnac (the warehouse), Delloite. And there was time also for a ’Masterclass’ at In-stituto de Empresa, one of the top education insti-tutes worldwide, and for a cultural tour towards Museo Reina Sofia.

All said, I advise you, at least those who can, to opt for a trip as your in-ternationalization credits at NOVA, since for sure you will make a lot of new friends and it will be an amazing experience and Madrid is a great choice. (GC)

Study Trip To Madrid

As far as study trips go, Brussels was possibly the most eclectic that Nova had to offer last year. It had a little bit of every-thing for all tastes. From visits to a major Euro-pean Bank like ING, the consumer goods com-pany AB InBev, the gi-ant retailer Delhaize. But the most differentiating factor is the possibility to take an unforgettable trip to the heart of Eu-

ropean Union itself, by visiting the European Parliament and the Eu-ropean Commission. And it’s not just about going places, it’s also about meeting people. In the Parliament we had the opportunity to discuss with some Por-tuguese members and in the commission we met with Durão Barroso himself for a few min-utes. There will be big

companies everywhere you go, but to experience this proximity with ma-jor political institutions, you’ll have to go to Brus-

Study Trip To Brussels

International Exposure

sels. On top of that, the trip ended up being one of the most affordable Nova had to offer. (RB)

March, 2012March, 201210 MODULES 11MODULES

Leadership, creativity and social responsibility

Creative Enterprise De-sign is a remarkably prac-tical module. This module consists in applying de-sign conception methods to the business process of a given organization in a very casual environment. And the idea behind it was to stimulate business creativity over organiza-

tional and strategic tasks – a process which has achieved success in the business world. During the second half of the last century, concept design become increasingly an upstream process which should to be integrated in the ideas’ conception and implementation strategies

rather than serve the sin-gle purpose of transform-ing an existing idea into something with market potential.In Creative Enterprise

Design students are asked to work in proximity with given companies or in-stitutions as “Loja do Ci-dadão” or “Turismo de

Portugal” departing from a given target they are suppose to perceive and to achieve by applying de-sign-based practices and studio methods to real business cases. (AFC)

Professional Citizenship is likely one of the most in-spiring modules one can undertake at Nova. It is a chance to hear stories of people that found mean-ing outside offices, meet-ings and money, and that found it by trying to help others and improve the

environment they live in. One positive feature of the module is that one doesn’t spend many hours locked in a room listening to speakers. Instead most of the module is spend outside working with the group you’re assigned to or in the scheduled study

trips to various locations of interest.Another captivating fea-ture of the module is that it is very connected to the real world. Students in-teract directly with the el-derly community of Cam-polide and are asked to develop potential projects

the parish can undertake to improve their lives.It is an opportunity to broaden your horizons and see there is more to life than job hunts and de-veloping soft skills. Ideal for someone with a taste for helping others. (RB)

As the only one especially designed for students of Masters in Economics, the module Model Building for Policy Analysis fails to

deliver all it promises: you don’t walk out from it feel-ing you can create a mod-ule. Nor could you do it within the duration of the

module: 4 days. But while you don’t acquire the skills to study a particular situa-tion, you are given a hint of the steps towards creat-

ing framework to formal-ize a simple question by reading and analyzing a paper. (AL)

According to Chemers, leader-ship is the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task: this is precisely what this module was all about.

From the Marshmallow Challenge to the trying to figure out what to carry if Lost at Sea, Professor Joana Story really em-phasized the importance of working in teams and leadership in today’s busi-ness world, which these too are as important as having a degree. Although time was a little short, in

this 3-day module teams were formed with the premise of not knowing each other, which worked exceptionally well, being this an opportunity to get out of “our safe place” and meet other colleagues and other types of work meth-ods. (CG)

Does it seem strange to see elephants at a univer-sity? Have you seen at least one at NOVA? Feeling like tearing apart magazines? Then you should defini-

tively do this module! In this 3 days, students were encouraged leave the “paper and pen work method” and use many materials to express ideas,

values, standards, etc. Creativity and business have much in common: to achieve something, the road is full of creative routes, especially in the

entrepreneurship area. (CG)

Creative Enterprise Design

Doing Business in Af-rica is an extremely useful module. Not only for those who have their minds set to work in a foreign envi-ronment but also for those not planning it. No, this module is not to brain-wash those of us more Portugal-attached. This module is a value adding experience for everyone

as it presents a complete-ly different reality of the one we are used to: a fast growing and fast changing economy where opportu-nities come and go and, time is of the essence and where cultural idiosyncra-sies are still very present.The module consists

of oral presentations by well-known professors

where the macro real-ity and cultural issues are presented in an engaging fashion. After this, we are challenged to develop a business model for a com-pany in Angola to be put in front of class and the professors. The process of model building is chal-lenging as we face all the problems inherent to the

Angolan market and the guidance provided by the professors is key and re-warding.Make no mistake, Do-

ing Business in Africa is a module worth taking and worth every minute. (JA)

Doing Business in Africa Professional Citizenship

Leading teams

Model Building for Policy Analysis

Creativity workshop

March, 2012March, 2012 13CLUBS12 MODULES

This was the first event held by this ini-tiative and I dare say this one is a keeper. Hot Spots at Nova will con-sist on monthly confer-ences on relevant eco-nomic and financial subjects of nowadays. The dynamics of the dis-cussion will be assured by the interventions of 3 guest speakers with ex-pertise and experience on the topic in question.

Regarding this inau-gural event, the guests were Dr. Francisco Cary (CFO from BESi) and professors Quinglei Dai and Nadim Habib (No-va’s Forum CEO). They offered perspectives from three different sources of foreign capital relevant to the econom-ic adjustment process Portugal is undergoing. Firstly, we had a truly interesting insight from Professor Dai concern-ing the winning bid of

China Three Gorges in the privatization of the state-owned block of shares in EDP. The main idea was that the influx of Chinese capital in many companies world-wide follows learning

purposes and not domi-nant control agendas (as the giving up of board seats in EDP demon-strates). Secondly, we had Dr. Cary with his tremendous experience on the Brazilian market, but also with a compel-

ling case on the global dynamics of foreign capital in recent years and the sheer relevance it is bound to play in the near future in developed economies and markets. Last but definitely not

least, Professor Habib, responsible for the Nova Business School in An-gola, exposed the case of the need for Portugal to be open and not to fear foreign capital as it will open (much needed) opportunities and gate-

ways for Portuguese companies and skilled workforce.

After the three inter-ventions, the floor was open for Q&A, and the discussion flowed nice-ly and lively. The event proved to be a success all around, well publicized and with great atten-dance. Congratulations to the Nova Investments club..

João F. Almeida

Hot Spots @ Nova – Foreign Capital in Portugal, Players and Gainers

The first “Hot spot” organized by the Nova Investment Club, dedicated to the topic “The Challenges and Impacts of Foreign Capital” took place on February 23rd the event was very successful.

Career Vision

This module has really good insights about the student’s near future. It starts with a full morn-ing focusing on explain-ing how to construct the student’s CV and Cover Letter, which are the first tools for a pre-candidate

to become an actual can-didate to a certain job. But these are only the first steps: what do enterprises really seek? To answer this, the CMO (Career Management Office) in-vited several well-know desirable-to-work-for

companies and organi-zations to talk about re-cruitment processes, what characteristics are more valued in a job applicant, “do’s and don’t’s” when ap-plying to a job and even simulate some group dynamics exercise. This

module was definitively insightful and useful for the near future of applying for jobs, but keep in mind that the CMO is an open-door office and that many CMO activities are ahead! (CG)

I found this module one of the most useful NOVA had to offer. Most of you I am sure have many doubts concerning what future you should expect for yourselves, and in what type of companies to ap-ply for once you are finish-

ing your Masters. Among the innumerous doubts regarding this topic, I un-derstood that a lot of stu-dents don’t know if they prefer to be consultants or investment bankers – the eternal question for many! In this module you

are exposed to some of the world biggest companies in both sectors, as well as smaller ones, with dif-ferent cultures and paths to offer you, and you for sure at the end you will be more enlightened about you and your dream ca-

reer. Some of the com-panies present last year were Atrium Investments, BES, Credit Suisse, Roll-er Berger, McKinsey or Ernst&Young, among oth-ers. Know better, choose wisely! (GC)

This module was created last year with the purpose of adapting the Career Vi-sion module to something more suitable for econom-ics master students and their specific career inter-ests. This was achieved by challenging both well known institutions and guest speakers to con-duct a series of presenta-tions where they should introduce the institution (or company) itself, their main activities, ongoing

career opportunities, re-cruitment deadlines and typical procedures. This year’s edition of Ca-reers in Economics was attended by institutions such as Banco de Portugal, Anacom, Centro de Infor-mação Jacques Delors and, by companies such as De-loitte and by guest speak-ers from BdP and Minis-try of Finance, a former student at NOVA, Sonae Sierra, Spark Agency and Pedro Vicente (Associate

Professor at NOVA SBE).Altogether, CMO’s presen-tations about interviews, curriculum vitae, cover letters and the job search online platforms provided by the School (Simplicity, Going Global and CMO’s intranet area) combined with the several presenta-tions conducted by guest speakers were proved to be a valuable experience that fit out economics stu-dent’s ambitions. (AFC)

Career Vision

Careers in Consulting and Investment Banking

Careers in Economics Module

March, 2012March, 201214 AFTER NOVA

It is never easy to write about our own experience especially if you are 22 years old.

Since I was very young I knew that I would like to work in the business world. Although I like physics and engineering I have never seen myself working in these areas. So when I had to choose my study path for the first time I decided to go for socioeconomics sciences instead of technology and sciences. This was when I broke my mother’s heart for the first time. My mum had a dream that I would fit as a successful engi-neering… Tough luck!

After choosing eco-nomics, NOVA emerged straightforwardly. I always loved to travel across bor-

ders, meet new people, different cultures and, as most of you, I also did an Erasmus exchange pro-gramme. The day I arrived home with the news that I

youth involvement can have such an important role in tomorrow’s world and break my mother’s heart for the third time. Seriously, if you happen to have such an opportunity, do not waste it. I could try to explain how wonderful is to help people in Africa but you still have to live it.

Attending national and local youth councils’ meet-ings opened me the door to be the Portuguese youth delegate to the United Na-tions’ 49th Commission for Social Development in New York. There I had the unique chance to partici-pate actively on the nego-tiations of a resolution on youth related issues. This once in a lifetime oppor-tunity allowed me to have a different perspective of the United Nations orga-nization and see how the member states negotiate

was going to study abroad for a semester was the day I broke my mother’s heart for the second time. If you haven’t decided yet wheth-er you want to do it or not,

please just go! The univer-sity and the city are not the most important factors as long as you actually do it. By the end of the semester I knew I wanted to do my masters abroad. Is not that the Portuguese masters are not good enough, but six months were definitely not enough for me.

I have always been a strong advocate for youth participation in the soci-ety. In particular, volun-teering work means a lot to me. If you know me you will know that I am “still” a boy scout. Today as a scout leader, I have the luck of helping young boys and girls growing to became active citizens. As a NGO Development Volunteer I had the chance to work in S. Tomé e Principe for 2 months (WACT). This ex-perience made me broad-en my horizons, see how

with each other, reaching (or not) important agree-ments.

Even though I was pretty sure I wanted to do my master in Finance I decided to try a first ap-proach to the job market. So I did an internship at Mercer for nine months – Investment Consulting. Not being particularly brilliant, the internship gave me exactly what I was looking for. An outlook that only who has already worked is able to under-stand.

In order to be suc-cessful we need to be in the right place at the right time, but if you challenge yourself, even if you break your mother’s heart, you will stand a better chance. And in the end she will love you anyway.

15HUMOUROSCOPE

I have always been a strong advocate fot youth partici-pation in society”

“The internship gave me exactly what I was look-

ing for. An outlook that only who has already worked is

able to understand

Tomás Almeida Leite

Aries - This semester will go well for you! Expect to feel a renewed energy and perspective on things, especially those that are work related. For in-stance, somewhere in this semester you will find out that the day has 24 hours and you will learn to con-sume the amount of coffee needed to use them all.

Leo - The stars say that you will face great diffi-culties in this semester. It can happen that you will need further international help, especially from the Germans. What a coinci-dence, you share the same star sign as Passos Coelho! Don’t be lame!

Aquarius - This will be clearly a semester of in-decision and if you do not find these forecasts cred-ible you can look at how Sarkozy is doing. Stars are never wrong!

Pisces - It is astrologically proven that pisces have talent for the arts, espe-cially the art of making pre teen garbage music. This will be evident during this semester. Particularly if your last name is Bieber.

Taurus – This will not be a good semester in terms of love. If you are from economics, then you are too geek for someone to like you. If you are from finance, you do not have time for personal live. If you are from management it will depend on the size of your pocket.

Gemini - This will not be a favorable year in terms of love. You will have no time for a relationship and the best you will get is to sunk even deeper in the friendzone you de-veloped with your group colleague.

Cancer - You are the same star sign as Cavaco Silva, so nothing good can come of it. Analyzing the stars alignment, maybe you should be extra careful about your savings.

Scorpio – You should ex-pect to encounter a very strange series of events this semester. For instance, if you are from economics you shall find time series. Strange series indeed!

Libra – If you are from finance you will kill your-self working. Moreover, if you are doing your work project in equity research you should put a bullet in your head.

Virgo - If you’re a former prime minister of a “la-tino” country you prob-ably still think debts aren’t supposed to be paid off…well guess again (specific advice for José Socrates)! This is an ideal time for you to enjoy education!

Sagitarius – Due to the alignment of Neptune and Saturn and the ener-gies emanated by the stars you will probably tend to wear fewer clothes as the semester advances.

Capricorn - After the pre-vious 11 star signs we have no more ideas. We do not understand how Maya does it every day!

João F. Almeida and Luís Filipe